Need advice: which first car?

First of all, sorry if this is the wrong place to post! Anyone know anywhere better to ask this kind of question?

Anyway, I live in the UK and I'm about to buy my first car and I know very little about cars (total newbie) so I would appreciate any advice at all. I want to know what you all think are important features when buying a car? What should I know about?

I'm looking to spend very little — less than £1,500 — and I would like the following features (in order):

1. Very low insurance.
2. Feels good to drive (I've driven about 6 different cars and by far the best "feeling" car was a new Vauxhall Corsa)
3. Hatchback, so I can carry bigger things around in the back (like the keyboard I play).
4. Safe construction in case of accidents.
5. Ideally, good miles to the litre, as I make a lot of long distance trips.
6. I prefer small cars.
7. But... I have long legs!

I don't really care what the car looks like because this is my first car and I'm told I'm likely to have a few bumps or scratches in my first year and I have no intention of making a claim on my insurance.

Although, I personally prefer curvy cars, like Ford's 2-seater Streetka. Actually, the Streetka and the Audi TT are the only two cars I like the look of (excluding sportscars). When I've been driving for a while I definitely want to get a Streetka as a second car — which is why I'd like this first car to have really cheap insurance.

Any advice at all (from anywhere in the world) would be really appreciated. I want to get my car bought soon! Thanks!

  Dizzy Driver